Internet browsers serve as the gateway to the World Wide Web. From an Internet browser, computer users can access websites, but today’s browsers serve as more than web portals. They can be customized with applications and plug-ins and photos that enhance the web surfing experience.
Internet Explorer is available in PC- and Mac-compatible versions. The browser offers a number of features, including:
- Accelerators that allow you to look up directions or definitions without leaving the page that you are visiting
- Faster scripts designed to make downloads faster
- An address bar that remembers sites you have already visited as you enter a URL
- Recovery of tabs in case of an unexpected crash or accidental closure of a tab
Google Chrome is compatible with PC, Mac and Linux operating systems. Among it’s many useful feature are:
- Automatic translation of web pages
- An incognito mode that lets you visit pages without them showing up in your browser history
- Auto-updates that install security patches
- The ability to download apps, themes and extensions to the browser
Mozilla Firefox is an open-source which is popular for its functionality, which includes:
- A password manager where you can view login information you have opted to save for various websites
- One-click bookmarking that allows you to easily organize frequently-visited sites
- More than 6,000 add-ons that you can use to perform tasks like checking weather and e-mail, or listening to music directly from the browser
- A mobile download lets you access your customized browser straight from your smartphone
Safari is a browser that works on Macs and PCs as well as the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It’s features include:
- Thumbnails of up to two dozen of your favorite sites
- A “Reader” view that eliminates distracting ads when you want to read online newspapers and magazines
- The ability to export bookmarks and open them on another browser or computer
- Spell- and grammar-checking when updating blogs or composing web-based e-mail